- matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
- material that has been deposited from water, ice, or wind
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
sed•i•ment /ˈsɛdəmənt/USA pronunciation
n.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid; dregs: [uncountable]brownish sediment in the drinking water.[countable]an ugly sediment in the bottom of the glass.
- Geologymineral or sand deposited by the action of water, air, or ice: [uncountable]The flood waters deposited sediment on the land.[countable]a sediment of coal.
sed•i•ment
(n. sed′ə mənt;v. sed′ə ment′),USA pronunciation n.
v.t.
v.i.
sed′i•men′tous, adj.
- the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid;
lees;
dregs. - Geologymineral or organic matter deposited by water, air, or ice.
v.t.
- Geologyto deposit as sediment.
v.i.
- Geologyto form or deposit sediment.
- Latin sedimentum, equivalent. to sedi- (combining form of sedēre to sit1, settle) + -mentum -ment
- 1540–50
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
sediment /ˈsɛdɪmənt/ n
'sediment' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
alluvion
- bitty
- compact
- decant
- defecate
- deposit
- dose
- faeces
- floodplain
- geosyncline
- ground
- lees
- measures
- molasse
- mudflow
- placer
- refine
- refiner
- roil
- sedimentary
- sedimentation
- settle
- settlings
- shale
- sludge
- stratification
- subside
- supernatant
- varve
- warp
- aggrade
- amurca
- blue mud
- bottom yeast
- candle
- cesspool
- clast
- connate
- deep-sea core
- differential compaction
- dreg
- eugeosyncline
- feces
- foot
- foredeep
- grade
- heeltap
- infill
- kick
- lamina